Shadows of the Rising Sun
by Keizer
Summary: War is Hell" - William T. Sherman In the 1860s, America was torn by a brutal Civil War. Duo finds two Confederate soldiers in the Union and takes care of them. Quatre, a doctor, helps Duo and discovers something he's been missing Pairngs: 3x4, 1x2, 5xS
1. Clear Skies

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Wing.

**Title: **Shadows of the Rising Sun

**Author:** Sarcastic Pessimist 

**Rating:** PG-13

**Warnings:** Blood, mention of immense gore, shonen ai/yaoi, violence, and language

**Pairings: **3x4, 1x2, and 5xS

**Background:** This story is set during the American Civil War, which occurred from 1861 to 1865. If you don't know the background of the Civil War, then I will brief you quickly on the relevant information. Despite the popular belief that the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery, it was actually fought over states' rights. I refuse to antagonize neither the Union nor the Confederacy. Please respect my standing point on this issue.  

**Author's Notes: **History is my favorite subject so I will not distort it. This story is written mostly in Quatre's POV. He happens to be my favorite character and I assigned him a role that would allow him to retain his character as well as do a little growing up as well. 

~*~*~

Shadows of the Blazing Sun

Clear Skies

Quatre's POV

I breathed in the cool morning air. It seemed like an eternity of gunshots and anxiety, but the battle outside of this little town of [1] Gettysburg has finally come to a close after three days of bloodshed. I can now truly focus on healing those soldiers who are in need of my care. Being the only doctor in town can be very tiring during times of war.

The stairs creaked softly as I tried to creep as quietly as I possibly could toward the bottom floor. Once I reached the bottom landing, I peered into the "infirmary" section of my home to check upon my patients. I smiled upon the scene that met my eyes as I peered into the room. All of the wounded soldiers slept soundly and peacefully, exhausted after three days of slaughter and carnage. It sometimes surprises me that these men were around my own age, yet they always appeared to be so much more fatigued and weary than me.

A muted, though nonetheless urgent knock drew my attention towards the entrance of my home. I walked over and opened the door carefully. Peeking though the crack, I was able to make out the silhouette of Duo. Duo Maxwell was from Louisiana, but he decided to move north when the war started. He is now the town blacksmith as well as one of my closest friends. 

Duo's slender, sinewy frame was taut with tension and he was glancing warily around to if there was anyone around at the crack of dawn. I ushered Duo into my home in an instant, knowing that whatever was bothering him probably had something to do the war. Despite his flamboyant personality, everyone in Gettysburg, with the exception of Wufei and me, shied away from Duo, believing that he was a Confederate spy. 

"Duo, is something wrong?"

" 'm fine, Quat….Can ya 'elp me with somethin' important?"

I nodded my consent immediately and waited for Duo to speak. 

" I snuck 'ta da' battle grounds dis mornin' ta see w'at's been goin' on ov'r there. Then I found dese two [2] Rebel soldiers dat waz still livin'. I took'em home and I waz hopin' ya can take a look at'em."

I blinked. This was completely out of the blue, but the answer should have been as plain as day to Duo. When have I ever denied him any of my services or time?

"Duo, off course I'll assess their injuries. When I swore the [3] Hyppocratic Oath, I promised that I would try and heal the wounded no matter who they are. Besides, I not a [4] Yankee and you know that." 

"Sorry, Quat….I jus' wanted ta make sure."

My lips curved upward on their own I accord. I don't know how anyone in town could dislike Duo. He is such a good-hearted young man.

~*~*~

Sorry this is so short, but I didn't want to give too much away in the prologue. Please excuse my bad attempt at giving Duo a Louisianan accent. I don't have much of a clue how people talked in Louisiana during the 1860s.   

**Notes:**

[1] I am referring to the Battle of Gettysburg. By the way, Gettysburg is in Pennsylvania. This was General Robert E. Lee's second attempt to take the initiative, and like the previous attempt, he failed horrendously.If you didn't know who Robert E. Lee was, he was the general of the Confederate Army and perhaps one of the most brilliant generals in American history. 

[2]Rebel is the same as Confederate.

[3] The Hyppocratic (I'm pretty sure it's spelled this way, but I'm too lazy to get my 5lb. dictionary to check) Oath is an oath you swear when you become a doctor of any sort. It was started by a man in ancient Greece called Hyppocratis or something like that. Anyways, it just basicly mean that you have to try and help anyone who is sick or wounded no matter their race, religion, belief, and so on.

[4] Yankees are the Northerners or the Union people or the people who the Confederates/Rebels are fighting against. They live above the eleven slave states of the Confederate States of America, which are South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Okay, that it for now. 

Thanks for reading!!!

Oh, and please review!!!!!

^_^ 


	2. Sleet

**Author's Notes:** Yah!!! People like my story. It makes me so happy. ^_____^

**Review Replies:**

Mara202: I'm so glad you like this story considering I threw this story plot together in math class while doing my social studies homework. ^_~

Tint-angel: Thank you for telling me about my spelling error. I think the whole reason this plot appealed to me more than my other story plots was because I can allow the GW cast to keep their characters, since the Civil War was similar to the wars in Gundam Wing.

Die Spitze: I think I'll take your advice. Trying to give Duo an accent was a pain. I'll try and make it longer. Thanks for reading!!!

~*~*~

Shadows of the Rising Sun

Chapter 1

Sleet

Quatre's POV

"Duo, please hold him still while I administer [1] chloroform."

Duo held down the tall young man's shoulder delicately, afraid to disturb the gaping [2] bayonet wound at his side, as I carefully applied the chloroform. Once my patient was numbed, I prepared my needle and unwrapped the linen that Duo had wrapped around the soldier's wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. I bit my lip as I gazed upon the wound. It was a bloody mess that I believed was infected. 

"Duo, why don't you take care of the other patient? He has a fever and his only physical wound is a minor bullet graze on his shoulder, which you did a clean job dressing. All you have to do is keep the wet linen on his forehead cool by dipping it in cold water when it warms up and give him some [3] willow bark tea once he wakes up."

After giving Duo these instructions, I returned to the gruesome task of stitching up this nameless soldier's wound. I admit that the whole reason that I gave him the task of taking care of the other soldier, because he seemed really anxious and he was fidgeting quite a bit. I had always thought that I would never see the day when Duo Maxwell would have nothing to say, but I suppose that Duo must have felt anguished upon seeing his countrymen in such a state and guilty that he had not fought alongside them. Poor Duo. I hope he realizes soon that this had nothing to do with whether or not he should have joined the Confederate army.

I really wished there was some way to disinfect my hands, but in times of war proper disinfectants, such as [4] alcohol, are hard to come by. I consider myself lucky on being able to get my hands on some chloroform. For now, I guess I shall have to rely on my knowledge of medicinal herbs.

I sewed the soldier's wound up meticulously. I remembered a time when I found this particular task utterly unbearable. Back then, I absolutely detested the site of blood, sickness, and pain. Yet, what I hated more was the sight of any creature suffering from blood lose, sickness, or pain. I suppose that was what fueled my desire to become a doctor. Fortunately, I had a sister, Iria, who had studied medicine in America to instruct me on the basics. I was quite eager to learn all that Iria had to offer and even more eager to study medicine at a university. Thus, I began to study with my tutors more vigorously, in hopes of completing my fundamental studies earlier. This urgency to learn surprised all of my tutors, save my violin tutor. They had always seen me as finicky little brat with no appreciation for the fine arts of the intellect. I was not quite fourteen when I completed my basic education and decided to approach my father on attending a university to study and become a doctor. My father was a stern lawyer whose policy on every element of life was to be [5] fair, consistent, and honest, and to deal with matters [6] quickly, efficiently, and accurately. It was these policies of his that made him one of the most reputable and successful lawyers in all of Great Britain. Before I approached my father on my this topic, I had already applied for [7] Cambridge University, and just in case he didn't support me financially, I had secretly used my allowance to bet on horse races in order to collect money for the sake of my future. When the Day of Judgment finally dawned, I was apprehensive, but my father put all my troubles at ease and told me that a father's role was merely to guide, not dictate. My father and I have never been particularly close, since we were both constantly bossed by our different tasks. Whenever we did converse, the conversation would always evolve into a negative argument, so I ever saw in him was his dissatisfaction with me. Naturally, his agreement to let me go to Cambridge, rather than [8] Oxford, to pursue my dreams surprised me, but it made me realize that my father truly loved me despite his brusque manner of showing it. 

I gently snipped and knotted the thread. I applied a thin layer of [9] chickweed ointment before bandaging the wound up firmly. 

"Please feel free to call on me if their condition changes in any way."

With that said, I gathered my materials and left. I paused just before I exited to watch Duo dubiously stroke the stranger's cheek. I couldn't help but smile at the site. It seemed so sweet that Duo would care about a soldier he had never met before. Duo is a better youth than the town believes. I think that the townspeople ought to give Duo a chance to prove himself, but I suppose [10] "ignotum per ignotius" refers to my fellow ignorant human townspeople.

~*~*~      

Yay!!! I finished the first chapter. The next chapter may be longer. This chapter says tells a lot about the characters. I presume you've figured out which soldier is which. The rest of Quat's history will be explained later. I have tweaked Quatre and Heero's nationalities to fit the historic context of this story. Quat's British and Heero's an American with German and Japanese backgournd. Oh, I gave Trowa a nice family too. He has a sister and an aunt, but now I'm giving too much away. Midii Une has a role in this story too, but Trowa didn't, doesn't, and will not love her in any way. 

**Notes:**

[1] Chloroform was a popular anesthetic of the time. The other anesthetics were ether, morphine, and opium. Take your pick.

[2] A bayonet is the part of those old battle rifles that you attach on the muzzle of the gun. It was used to stab your opponent once you get close to them. I didn't really want Trowa to get shot in the arm and then the limb amputated, so I got him stabbed by a bayonet instead.

[3] Willow bark tea is a common and usually effective folk remedy for fever.

[4] Alcohol was available as a disinfectant back then.

[5] My humanities teacher's policy and he is, bluntly so.

[6] What my math teacher wants all her students to be, fast, efficient, and accurate.

[7] Cambridge is a university in London that is famous for its science department.

[8] Oxford is another university in London, but it's famous for its humanities department. One thing they came up with is the Oxford dictionary.

[9] Chickweed is an herbal remedy used by Native Americans to treat wounds, infections, and other illnesses. It can also be found in Europe too.

[10] Latin meaning "explaining the unknown by means of the more unknown."

Well, that's that.

I want to start another story since I have so many ideas in my head, but I need to know which idea below you like best.

[1] A crossover with the Trojan War with Trowa as some Greek prince and Quatre as a Trojan prince he enslaves, or something along those lines.

[2] A crossover with the myth about Adonis with Trowa as some Greek prince (again) and Quatre, aka Adonis,  a slave due to circumstance. Maybe I'll make Quatre half god or Trowa a god, don't know.

[3] A sci-fi fic with Quatre and Duo as Preventer agents that get dragged back in time, where they meet Trowa and Heero.

[4] A fic with Quatre and Trowa growing up together then going their separate ways after a heart break and meeting up years later.

[5] A fic where Quatre is orphaned and takes care of himself and Trowa comes from a wealthy family.

[6] A fic where Quatre is a slave from Athens after the Peloponnesian War and Trowa is a Spartan war chieftain.

[7] A Post-EW fic where Wufei goes to his homeland of China to rediscover the history of his people and himself.  

Please tell me what you think.

Oh, and please review.

^_^


	3. Thunderheads

Sorry, I haven't updated. Spring break started and I went to DC with my family. Next week is CAT and Star Testing week, so I just wanted to get another chapter out I'm swamped with work and preparing for culmination.

~*~*~

Shadows of the Rising Sun

Chapter 2

Thunderheads

Quatre's POV

"Quatre, why don't you take a break and I'll take over?"

"Thank you, Sally. I'll go for a walk. Please call for me if you need anything."

Sally is a trained nurse and wife of Wufei. When the war began, she traveled around the country helping the wounded men in the army hospitals. During the three days of skirmish at Gettysburg, she had helped me patch up the numerous soldiers who were left to my care. 

The air outside was cool and fresh, refreshing my mind and soul. I relished the tranquility of the moment and thought about Duo's situation. The truth is no grudge is truly held by the citizens of the Union and the Confederacy. Outside of the battlefield they still considered themselves fellow countrymen, though they would thoughtlessly slaughter said comrades upon the battlefield. However, many towns in the north, such as this one, are bitter towards the Rebels, because of deceased relatives who died due to the war. The town had isolated Duo because he was a southerner. Duo was lucky that Wufei was capable of convincing the townspeople that Duo wasn't a Confederate spy or Duo might have been locked away with no trial or due process.

"Quatre!!!! Quatre, come on!!!!"

I blinked. Duo's words seeped into my mind. One of the soldiers was awake and I needed to check up on him. I gave Duo an assuring smile as I ran over to him. Together, we made our way wordlessly to his house. Upon entering, I glimpsed a young man with messy sable hair and sharp azure raptor eyes. The youth glared coldly at us.

"I appreciate you for saving my life, but I don't need your pity."

I sighed. This young man seemed determined to be difficult about the situation and view us as his enemies. 

"Duo," I nodded toward my braided friend, "saved your life out of compassion and kinship."

Two pairs of narrowed eyes scrutinized me: one out of anger, and the other out of confusion. I shrugged off their stares casually and explained to the young soldier.

"Duo, here, is from Louisiana."

Duo glared angrily at me, while the youth upon the bed cast a questioning look at Duo with one of his eyebrows raised in an inquisitive manner.

"I'm not a deserter if that's what you're thinking," exclaimed Duo.

"Then what are you doing up here in the north," questioned the raptor boy harshly.

"I…I didn't really think I could kill another human being, never-the-less another American. All the reasons for fighting this war seemed wrong to me."

"You didn't care that the Yankees were destroying our way of life and taking away our rights?!"

"It isn't our right to enslave other human beings!!!"

"We're saving the Negroes. They'll go to heaven. We're directing them towards the right path, not the barbarous path that their ancestors chose."

"God created all men to be equal."

"God created the race of white men to help the race of black men find salvation."

"God would not have the race of white men enslave the race of black men like the Egyptians enslaved the Israelites."

Silence followed that statement. However, the blue-eyed youth was still determined to justify his point.

"The Northerners were oppressing us."

"We had government people up in capitol hill. It's they're job to look out for our rights. If they couldn't do their jobs properly, then we can't blame the North."

"They can't do their job because the North has more people up there than us and they out vote us."

"I thought that everything was working out just fine."

Another moment of silence followed. The tension in the room was only broken when the other brunette soldier let out a low moan of pain and opened his eyes tiredly. 

I was pinned in place by the intense emerald gaze of the youth. Then the young man turned his eyes toward his fellow soldier.

"Heero, where are we and who are these people," spoke the lanky youth hoarsely before an intense cough overtook him. 

I frowned, and went to the adjacent kitchen to prepare some willow bark tea for both of the soldiers and a mixture of honey, mead, and mint to soothe the cough of the green-eyed soldier. In the sitting room, I heard the three Southerners talking.

"We're in Duo Maxwell's house in Gettysburg, and that longhaired man is Duo Maxwell. I think the blonde is a doctor."

A pregnant pause followed before Heero's comrade directed a question to Duo.

"Why?" 

"…I guess cause we're all…buddies," stated Duo hesitantly.

"You're," coughs broke Trowa's sentence, "a Yank," more coughs ensued, "not MY buddy."

I heard what sounded suspiciously like a sigh from Duo.

"I'm a Louisianan, I just came up here when the war started to avoid it. I didn't want to kill other Americans over things like slavery."

After that, all three of them stayed silent until my return to sitting room.

"My name is Quatre Winner and I'm a doctor who doesn't judge people by where they came from," I introduced myself as I set the herbal remedies on the table.

The blue-eyed youth nodded and introduced himself proudly, "I'm Heero Yuy and that's Trowa Barton. We're soldiers of the Army of Virginia."

I smiled at them both and nodded in acceptance. This would be the beginning of two beautiful friendships, I know for sure.

~*~*~

Sorry about the short chapter once again, but it's 9:34 PM and I have the Star tests for social studies tomorrow.

Please review so I can get a morale boost and not screw up the test.

^_^ 


	4. Winds Rising

Sorry for the long wait, but I'm was busy with projects, final, culmination, and signing up for high school classes. Not to mention that I have a piano recital on the twentieth. Even in middle school, your teachers pile homework on you constantly!

As for testing, I think I screwed my Geometry section. Umm…anyone know the ratio between the surface area and volume of a sphere? I got 3/_r_. Damn it. I thought California had bad schools or something. Thank God colleges don't look at records before high school or I'm screwed cause I think I failed my state math standards.

Now to our feature presentation, chapter 4 of Shadows of the Rising Sun!!!

§§§§§

Chapter 4

Winds Rising

Quatre's POV

It's so strange to have a free afternoon. It's been a week since I've last seen the two Confederate soldiers that Duo rescued and I treated. Nowadays, it seems that my life has been reduced to taking care of the Union soldiers who are too badly wounded to move on with the rest of their regiment. It makes me feel so sad to see these men damaged beyond repair. Some have sacrificed a limb or two, while others sacrificed their lives for this war, for their leaders, and for their own beliefs. Blood…so much of it. Oh, how Mother Gaia must be crying at the sight of brother killing brother, father killing son, and the people of one nation slaughtering each other.

I cannot say that I totally approve of this war, but as a foreigner, I am only a spectator of the events.

§§§§§

"Checkmate."

It seems that Heero has won another game of chess against Duo. Heero is the epitome of the "perfect soldier." He is cool and collected, as well as a competent fighter physically and mentally. However, as cold as Heero may sometimes appear, it was only a mask he hid behind. It surprised me that Heero was actually quite shy and his way of making up for it was to hide behind his mask of coldness, but it seems that Duo's loquacious and exuberant nature was able to make Heero feel welcomed and comfortable.

"Ahh…Can't you go easy on me Heero, since I ain't too good at this game?"

"Hnnn…Maybe."

I can't help but break into a smile at the sight of those two tittering at each other. It seems like they were made for each other. Despite the fact that in this day and time love between two people of the same gender is widely feared and hated, I think that they would make a great couple. To me, it seems like they are already falling love and they don't even notice.

And then, there is Trowa. Trowa is a mysterious enigma, well not that mysterious. The only thing I know about him is that he is Heero's best and probably only friend. He hardly ever speaks. Sometimes his presence could be forgotten. I don't understand Trowa, I guess that's what fascinates me about him. Uhhh…I just sounded so superficial and shallow.

Of what I understand about Trowa, he only speaks when he deems it necessary and he doesn't trust people particularly easily. He is something totally different from the people I have met so far. I suppose that Trowa is kind of similar to Heero too, shy and gauche. I should also confess that I am absolutely infatuated with Trowa.

"Hey Quat, why don't you play some tunes on that ole' fiddle of yours?!"

"Umm…Sure. Is there anything in particular that you would like to hear?"

"How 'bout that jolly ole' song by that old guy called shoeman or somethin'?"

I couldn't help but smile at Duo's minor blunder. It is no mystery to me why [1] Robert Schumann's "The Happy Peasant" would appeal to Duo so much. The peasant whom the song characterizes is who Duo wants to be.

"Duo means "The Happy Peasant" by Robert Schumann," I stated to sate the inquiring looks that the two soldiers gave me.

I had a feeling that Duo was going to request a violin composition. I usually bring my violin with me on social visits to Duo. He always requests "The Happy Peasant," along with a few other songs.

I fondly brought out my [2] Hellier Stradivarius violin, given to me by my father when I left for Cambridge. I remember that day clearly. At the time, I was fourteen and eager to follow my ambitious dreams. Most boys my age would have gone to a children's school rather than a university. I was advanced for my age. My father the best tutors that he could hire, and I was eager to learn so I studied at every available moment that I had.

My belongings were all packed and stowed away on the carriage, and I was already seated inside the carriage, prepared for departure. Every member of the household, save my father, was outside, seeing me off. I was just about to give the driver the signal to leave when I heard my father calling out to me. He approached me carrying a slightly worn leather case. My father silently handed me the case and observed me as I opened to find the Hellier Stradivarius. He told me that it was an authentic Stradivarius hand made by Antonio Stradivari himself and had been my mother's violin. To say that I was surprised would have been a gross understatement. No, I was stunned speechless by this blessing and show of affection as well as apology from my father. I embraced my father warmly in an act of acceptance before I left. I could still recall my father calling out to me, telling me to visit during breaks, as the carriage bounced and rolled away.

I drew my bow across the four strings of the violin, E A D G, and proceeded to twitch the pegs to tune my violin accordingly. Once I was satisfied, I began to play the cheerful tune. The rich, shrill timbre of the notes emerged from the violin in harmony. For a moment, everyone in the room forgot that we were supposed to be enemies in a bitter civil war. We all felt the happiness and joy that the peasant experienced in his simple, but fulfilling life. When drew the final note from the violin, we all felt a horrible sense of loss from the warmth of the song. The wistfulness was obvious in the eyes of Duo, Trowa, as well as Heero.

It seems that we are all not so different after all. Each and every one of us present in the room at the moment dreams peace, happiness, and love. The song was reflection of our dreams. It seems strange that such a simple children's song can leave such a lasting memory in our minds, while majestic court sonatas are often overlooked in our memories. I suppose it is the feeling and image that Schumann's song conveys that makes it so much more influential. Alas….If only this war would end soon…

§§§§§

**Notes:**

[1] Also called "The Merry Peasant." This is one of my favorite tunes of all time.

[2] The best violins in the world that were made by Antonio Stradivari in the late 17th century. There are thousands of replicas, but real ones are hard to come buy and exceedingly expensive. A Hellier Stradivarius is a Stradivarius that has decorations on it. 

**Author's Notes:**

Once again, I'm sorry that this came out so late. I was having a story block in the middle of this chapter too, before my lil' sis inspired me with her violin playing and started teaching me how to play as well. I've got so many story plot ideas up in my head that it's driving me crazy as well.

Oh, I would just like to stare that I felt the South had a pretty valid reason for fighting and that it's wrong of some textbooks, such as my own, to antagonize them. To me there are no winners and losers in war, just victims.

Please Review!

     
 


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